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Talent Trade Tidbit - How To Choose a Recruiter
Stephanie Maas wants you to check her out.......as a recruiter. Hear about the right questions to ask when finding a recruiter to work with, from both sides of the desk.
Transcript
Hi, this is Stephanie Maas.
Speaker:Today I want to talk to you about how you choose a recruiter, and this is going to be for both clients and candidates, but let me start with the clients.
Speaker:I know my competitors, I know my competition, and candidly, some of them are pretty good and they absolutely have a place.
Speaker:In the marketplace at the same time, I know I work a little different than some of my competitors do.
Speaker:That's great because sometimes clients need them.
Speaker:Sometimes they need me.
Speaker:But more importantly, clients, you need to understand who do you need and are you choosing the right recruiter?
Speaker:If you are on a search where there is urgency.
Speaker:If there is any sensitivity, if it's a unique role in your organization, or if it's a role that you typically don't have to replace often, you need to be smart about who you're choosing because typically there isn't going to be a huge candidate pool for those types of role and you need to be smart to make sure you're sending the right recruiter to the market on your behalf.
Speaker:Here's a couple of quick questions you can ask to know if you're choosing the right recruiter.
Speaker:First of all, ask, Hey, how many searches do you have on your desk right now?
Speaker:And the answer that wins isn't if they've got a lot, how can they possibly take on your search to more isn't better in that scenario.
Speaker:Now they say they only have one.
Speaker:Yeeks, not sure that's the right answer either, but usually a handful recruiters can handle.
Speaker:Second thing I'd ask them is what is your fill ratio?
Speaker:How many searches do you take and how many do you actually fill?
Speaker:That's a number every recruiter knows off the top of their head.
Speaker:Another question I would ask, how many candidates do your clients typically interview for every search that you take?
Speaker:You got to know if they're on the mark or not.
Speaker:Again, more isn't always better if they say, Oh, my clients see 10, 12 candidates for every search.
Speaker:Those candidates aren't being vetted.
Speaker:That's not going to save you time, which is one of the reasons why you should choose a recruiters to help save time.
Speaker:If they say, Oh, they just see one or two, that's probably not a big enough pool of candidates for you to feel really confident about making a decision.
Speaker:Another question I would ask a recruiter is how long does your process usually take in terms of if you were going to cover the market?
Speaker:How many calls would you need to make?
Speaker:How long would that take?
Speaker:When would I start seeing candidates?
Speaker:And how long do you think from the time that we launch the search till we get to the offer stage?
Speaker:What does that look like?
Speaker:Again, it helps you understand how the recruiter works and does their style and approach match up with your needs.
Speaker:Now, if you're on the candidate side, first thing I would absolutely ask a recruiter is for referrals.
Speaker:Hey, I would like the names and numbers.
Speaker:Of two or three people you have placed in the last year and not only get those names and numbers, but call them, Hey, what did you like about working with Stephanie?
Speaker:Was there anything that she did that you felt made her stand out amongst other recruiters in the market?
Speaker:Could you trust her?
Speaker:These are fundamental questions, but look, if I'm going to be representing you and you're going to have to tell me some pretty confidential information, knowing I have your best interest in mind, check me out, do your homework, make sure that that's a relationship that you feel comfortable being in.
